In this issue:

Latest car news

Trial fit of the cockpit

Trial fit of the upper chassis Titanium skin

New hybrid rocket partner

Latest news from the desert track

BLOODHOUND Aerodynamicist recognised in Queen’s New Year honours list

Ambassadors in schools and clubs

Education update

Events

Support BLOODHOUND – Sponsors

Support BLOODHOUND – The 1K Club

Buy unique presents from BLOODHOUND

BLOODHOUND NEWSLETTER – 2014 No. 1

Welcome to the first of a new series of BLOODHOUND SSC newsletters! Here we’ll round up the latest news about the BLOODHOUND Project, including updates on events, sponsorship, supporters and ambassadors. And, of course, we’ll include highlights of how the car itself is progressing.

BLOODHOUND is an international education initiative focused around a 1,000 mph World Land Speed Record attempt. The supersonic car is being constructed in Bristol, UK. If you’re new to BLOODHOUND or want to explain to anyone what the project is all about, there is lots of information on the BLOODHOUND website at http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/. In particular, have a look at our Cisco BLOODHOUND TV video which gives an overview of the car and the project – the perfect introduction to BLOODHOUND SSC.

Latest car news

Trial fit of the cockpit

BLOODHOUND’s build team are fitting out Andy’s ‘office’ with consoles, switch gear and control panels. These are all fabricated by hand from sheet aluminium and trial fitted to ensure a bespoke fit for the driver. The panels will be powder coated with a light grey, non-reflective paint.

Trial fit of the upper chassis Titanium skin

BLOODHOUND’s upper chassis will hold the state-of-the-art EJ200 jet engine. Titanium stringers and skin panels will transfer the thrust from the engine into the rest of the car’s structure. Each panel has to be lined up perfectly before the 11,000 rivet holes are drilled and assembly can begin.

New hybrid rocket partner

We’re proud to announce a new partnership with NAMMO, the rocket propulsion specialist. The company, based in Norway, will supply its hybrid rocket technology for use in the BLOODHOUND 1,000mph supersonic car.

NAMMO rockets are used by the European Space Agency to separate the stages of Ariane 5, the world’s most reliable and commercially successful satellite launch vehicle. The company is now developing a new family of powerful yet compact hybrid rockets at its test facility in Raufoss, Norway. A combination of these motors will be used in BLOODHOUND SSC to provide around 27,500lbs (123.75kN) of thrust which, when combined with 20,200lbs (90kN) thrust from the car’s EJ200 jet, will generate the equivalent of 135,000 thrust horse power (thp) – eight times more power than all the cars on a Formula 1 starting grid combined.

Find out more about NAMMO and the BLOODHOUND partnership on our website at http://tinyurl.com/nc6ew3z

Latest news from the desert track

At the end of 2013 the BLOODHOUND SSC project passed a significant milestone with the completion of the communication masts in the South African desert. These are right by the track where BLOODHOUND will make its record-breaking runs and will send video and data from the car to audiences in 220 countries in 2015 and 2016, allowing viewers to watch on-board action, in high- definition, in real-time.

The masts, which range from 15m to 70m tall, and their support infrastructure, are being provided by our sponsor MTN and are vital to the project’s success. Solar and wind power are being widely used for both masts and communications, with one of the four towers totally powered by renewable energy.
MTN’s installation will not only enable Bloodhound communications, it will provide 2G and 3G mobile connectivity to the wider community. So now, despite its very remote location in north-east South Africa, Hakskeenpan has better mobile and Internet connectivity than parts of the UK! Connecting local communities and their schools to the wider world is an important part of the Project’s legacy.
Read more at http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/news/desert-towers-built

BLOODHOUND Aerodynamicist recognised in Queen’s New Year honours list

BLOODHOUND's Chief Aerodynamicist Ron Ayers, 81, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Year honours list. Ron was also Chief of Aerodynamics on Thrust SSC, the first car to break the sound barrier in 1997 when driver Andy Green reached a top speed of more than 763mph.

His MBE is for services to engineering, having worked in the industry since 1950. He said: "I am very pleased to have been chosen. I think it is very much a credit of all the people I have worked with, because engineering is such a team activity."

Ron was also responsible for the shape of the JCB Dieselmax, a 'streamliner' that used two digger engines to set a record of 350.092mph and became the World's fastest diesel powered car.

Ambassadors in schools and clubs

BLOODHOUND ambassadors play a vital role in fulfilling the project’s promise to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Our ambassadors are trained and given the resources to go into schools where they explain the technology behind The BLOODHOUND Project, as well as giving updates on the project’s progress. There is plenty of information about the ambassador programme on the BLOODHOUND website, and a new film on its way, but here is what it has meant to one of our long-term supporters.

A former teacher, Chris Henley has been an ambassador for four years, starting with a Science Museum Open Day at Wroughton Airfield near Swindon, where he and the team helped visitors build around 1,000 balloon-powered cars! Since then he has run over 30 BLOODHOUND sessions at schools, Cub Scout packs and other establishments and assisted on BLOODHOUND stands at events such as the Royal Bath & West Show and the Royal International Air Tattoo.

Chris also runs two school BLOODHOUND clubs, one of which has been going since 2009 – so far he’s led around 170 sessions. One of the first members of his original club is now working towards her GCSEs and is aiming to be an engineer, for which Chris must have been one of her inspirations. After speaking to nearly 3,000 people about BLOODHOUND and helping around 1,400 people build their own balloon-powered car you’d think Chris might want a break – but not a bit of it, as he’s started his third school BLOODHOUND club in January.

For more information about what it takes to be a BLOODHOUND ambassador, please contact Seema Quraishi on seema.quraishi@bloodhoundssc.com

If you’d like a BLOODHOUND ambassador to come into your school or club to talk about the car and engage children with hands-on projects, please contact Dawn Fitt on dawn.fitt@bloodhoundssc.com

Education update

In addition to its usual activities within schools and clubs, the BLOODHOUND Education team is very excited to be focussing on its Department for Education (DfE) contract to deliver education and training in computer science associated STEM resources. The DfE has provided funding support for 240 days of workshops in England over the next 18 months. To maximise impact we are teaming up with local authorities, further education colleges and DfE designated teaching school networks, to train those partners to continue to work with local schools over the next three years and beyond.

The DfE programme will consist of one day per school for Key Stage 2 and 3 students to attend and experience two to four BLOODHOUND STEM and computer science workshops at the hub venue. Then, in addition to the usual access to all BLOODHOUND learning materials, live tests and live runs, schools and students are provided with access to 6 weeks of STEM and computer science materials on the BLOODHOUND Blast platform. Any schools that are interested should contact their local authority, FE college or designated teaching school to ask to be put in touch with the BLOODHOUND Education Team.

We have completed delivery of the first of the DfE Programmes at Hereford Group Training Association (HGTA) through Wigmore School, Hereford, which was very successful.

In other news, schools and groups can now register for the Supersonic Big Bang Mega Class in Bristol on 12th February 2014 where the Education team will be presenting three 1-hour interactive shows on the science of BLOODHOUND. The one-day event at the University of the West of England is designed to inspire young people and give them a chance to explore science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through workshops and shows. There is also a competition for 11-18 year olds to present STEM projects at the show.

Find out more about Super Sonic @ The Big Bang by downloading the flyer (pdf file) at http://bit.ly/1bLPV0E

Events

Find out more about any of these and other future events on the BLOODHOUND SSC website at http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/events

The Big Bang – UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair
13th-16th March 2014National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham

See the BLOODHOUND show car and try out the activities on the BLOODHOUND stand at the annual fair that demonstrates how fun science and engineering can be! Register now – 13th and 14th are reserved for schools groups and then the fair is open to families and community groups on the 15th and 16th.

Find out more on The Big Bang website at http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/

The Goodwood Festival of Speed
26th-29th June 2014
Goodwood Estate, Chichester, PO18 0PX

Find BLOODHOUND in its large pavilion on the cricket pitch at the largest motoring garden party in the world! It will be a fitting place to find out the latest news about our preparations for the trip to the desert next year as the theme for Goodwood 2014 is “Addicted to Winning – The Unbeatable Champions of Motor Sport”. Sounds just like BLOODHOUND!

Find out more on the Goodwood website at: http://www.goodwood.co.uk/festival-of-speed

Visit the BLOODHOUND track in South Africa

We’ve received numerous enquiries about visiting Hakskeenpan, the location of the BLOODHOUND World Land Speed Record campaign, both before and during the runs, so have put together a guide to visiting the Pan, which you can find on the BLOODHOUND website.

Hakskeenpan is in the north west of South Africa, in the Northern Cape province, which is accessible by an internal flight from Johannesburg and then a 150 mile drive. The nearest major town is Upington. Access to the site is limited to prevent damage to the track itself, following the extensive preparation work that has already been done, but it is possible to visit the general area. In due course we expect that tour operators or the Province itself will offer package holiday style trips to coincide with the car running. We’ll keep you posted so watch this space!

Support BLOODHOUND – Sponsors

At the last count, there were around 250 BLOODHOUND sponsors, offering vital financial and product sponsorship. Without our sponsors, there would be no BLOODHOUND and no education mission.
There are various levels of sponsorship, which are covered in detail on the BLOODHOUND website. All sponsors have their logo on the car or the website. But another benefit is being part of the BLOODHOUND sponsors’ community. Sponsors are now communicating with each other through BLOODHOUND and hence gaining exposure to each other within this community, opening up a variety of business opportunities.

In other sponsorship news, one of the UK’s Catapult technology and innovation centres took the show car up to the Advanced Engineering Show in Birmingham and generated a great deal of interest. Sponsors can rent the show car to display their capabilities at appropriate exhibitions and shows, either on their own or as a group.

BH 9 Sponsor Conference

28th March 2014
BLOODHOUND Technical Centre (BTC 2)

Our BLOODHOUND Sponsor Conferences are ideal for networking, catching up on the project, speaking with the team and getting ideas on how to get the best out of your sponsorship. Now, in 2014, the Education programme is moving forward and having an effect on young people’s choices, new sponsors are being announced, and the build of the car is moving on at speed, as you would expect.

We will be laying on a full programme of updates and networking opportunities, so to register your interest, or for more information about the benefits of sponsorship and how to become a sponsor, please contact Tony Parraman at Tony.Parraman@Bloodhoundssc.com or Kim Watts at kim.watts@bloodhoundssc.com

Support BLOODHOUND – The 1K Club

Support for the BLOODHOUND Project continues through the 1K Club. At the last event in Bristol in December more than 120 supporters visited the build centre and were treated to presentations from the design and build team members – this was a fascinating opportunity to hear first-hand the background to the build of BLOODHOUND SSC.

At this event there was also a brilliant talk from the team from Heathland School in Hounslow, describing how they built their record-breaking 200mph+ rocket cars and ran them in their playground. They then discussed how they are using CFD and the output from their high speed videos to try to build a small rocket car capable of 400mph. The BLOODHOUND SSC team has helped them to secure Santa Pod for the runs and I hope many of the 1K Club supporters will come and cheer them on!

Richard Noble was at the event too and, as ever, brilliantly outlined the difficulties associated with running such a complex programme of activity and the complexity of keeping the momentum going. He echoed again the huge contribution the 1K Club has made to the project, not just in financial terms, but also in providing a demonstrable indication of the level of support and goodwill the project has. Richard had raided his garage and brought some memorabilia for auction that went all the way back to Thrust 1. Everyone who attended had a brilliant day, as summed up by one of the attendees who said he was nearly in tears and was proud to be British!

Now that we have settled into the new centre and have much more to show in terms of the build of the car we will be running visits much more regularly and, now that we have someone responsible for the visits, the process will become much smoother. Please look out for the unique Technical Centre visits in our emails as the places sell out very quickly.

Find out more about 1K Club supporter benefits by visiting our website.

Buy unique presents from BLOODHOUND

The BLOODHOUND online shop has a great range of unique presents for adults and children that would make ideal presents.

New items are being added all the time – the Corgi models have returned after we sold all of the models in the country and the ‘name on the tail fin’ programme continues to be a really popular gift. For those looking to learn more about the history of land speed world records, the DVD “For Britain and the Hell of it” (the story of Thrust2) contains additional footage and commentary from Richard Noble and Andy Green, providing a fantastic introduction to the next stage of the BLOODHOUND Project and the difficulties that need to be overcome to run the car.

Other unique presents include a range of DVDs, models of BLOODHOUND SSC and Thrust SSC, mugs, sports bottles, bags, clothing, badges, our beanie dog, a children’s pack, posters and a balloon car kit.
Come and explore the BLOODHOUND online shop at http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/shop